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DREDGES 

AND 

GOLD 

DREDGING 


NEW  YORK 

ENGINEERING 

COMPANY 


New^ 


SPECIALISTS 

IN  GOLD  DREDGING 

MACHINERY  AND  ENGINEERING 


Ilr.   0.   Dondoro,  i 

Doar   3ir: 

IVe  ara 

I 

19th  in  response 
products,  and  w^ 
CO  pi  03  of  our  "be 

Dredgos  and  Gla^ 


DREDGES 

AND 

GOLD  DREDGING 


NEW  YORK  ENGINEERING  CO. 

DESIGNERS  AND  BUILDERS  OF 

DREDGING    MACHINERY 

2   RECTOR  STREET 

UNITED  STATES  EXPRESS  BUILDING 

NEW  YORK 

Cable  Address:  NYECO,  Ne-cv  York 
Telephone  JJOJ  Rector 


OUR:,     cylDVANTAGES 


WE  are  often  asked  why  we  located  in  the  East. 
Briefly,  because  we  are  right  in  the  center  of  produc- 
tion of  all  the  material  entering  into  the  construction 
of  a  dredge.  The  largest  part  of  the  machinery  is  of  special 
steel,  cast,  wrought,  manganese,  chrome  and  nickel,  all  of 
which  are  pro- 
duced only  in  the 
East  and  at  our 
door ;  in  fact, 
most  of  the  ma- 
terial for  all  of 
the  important 
parts  of  every 
dredge  built  in 
this     country     is  ^""^^^li^MP^  ^-*.a«,«— .  ,|^_ 

produced   on   the 

Atlantic     Coast. 

Being  located  in 

the  very  center  of  production,  we  procure  the  best  material 

quickly  and  cheaply. 

INSPECTION  AND  SELECTION  OF  RAW 
MATERIAL 

Our  supervising  engineers  are  constantly  visiting  the 
mills,  inspecting,  selecting  and  testing  our  materials;  there- 
fore, we  get  the  best  selection  and  quality  to  meet  our  wants 
in  the  shortest  time  possible.  Hence  we  are  able  to  turn  out 
complete  dredges  in  much  shorter  time,  and  at  less  cost,  than 
any  of  the  Western  Manufacttirers. 

We  are  the  first  and  only  concern  in  this  country  to 
devote  its  whole  attention  exclusively  to  the  designing  and 
building  of  gold  dredges;  therefore,  we  are  especially  well 
equipped  to  do  this  work  much  better  and  more  quickly  than 
other  concerns;  for  with  them,  dredge  building  is  only  a 
side  line,  and  their  principal  business,  which  receives  their 
best  efforts,  is  the  manufacturing  of  some  other  lines  of 
product.  Some  of  our  engineers  were  taken  from  the  Cali- 
fornia dredging  fields,  and  thus  we  have  the  advantage  of 
the  many  lessons  learned  in  that  country. 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO 


We  have  done  much  to  de- 
velop dredge  architecture  and  to 
promote  gold  dredging  in  gen- 
eral ;  therefore,  to  those  interested 
in  this  subject,  we  suggest  the 
reading  of  our  booklet  on  ''Drills 
and  Prospecting,"  illustrating  the 
Empire  Hand  Prospecting  Drill 
and  its  application  in  determining 
the  values  and  characteristics  of 
dredging  or  placer  ground.  It 
also  contains  much  valuable  infor- 
mation and  many  tables  of  use  in 
placer  and  dredge  mining,  and  it 
will  be  sent  on  application. 

We  are  the  first  concern  to 
make  a  specialty  of  export  work, 
and  we  are  particularly  well 
equipped  to  handle  this  line,  being 
familiar  with  the  conditions  ex- 
isting in  most  of  the  gold-bear- 
ing placers  of  the  world.  We 
have  recently  equipped  many  of 
these  properties  with  successful 
dredges. 

TYPES 

In  the  experimental  period  of 
dredge  construction  in  this  coun- 
try, many  failures  resulted  in  attempting  to  use  the  hydraulic, 
or  suction,  and  the  dipper  and  clam-shell  types  of  dredges. 
These  failures  were  due  to  several  circumstances: 
First,  the  suction  dredge  did  not  lift  any  appreciable  amount 
of  gold.  Second,  it  did  not  clean  uneven  and  hard  bedrock. 
Third,  in  the  dipper  and  clam-shell  types  the  joints  in  the 
buckets  could  not  be  made  water-tight  and  most  of  the  gold 
was  lost  with  the  great  rush  of  water  through  these  joints. 
Fourth,  these  types  deposited  the  material  in  large  quantities, 
at  intermittent  periods,  whereas  a  continuous  feed  is  most 
essential  to  the  close  saving  of  gold. 


EMPIRE     HAND     PROSPECTING 
DRILL 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 

We  build  but  the  one  type  of  dredge  for  gold  mining, 
namely,  the  elevator  bucket  type  now  universally  recognized 
as  unquestionably  the  best  machine  for  handling  a  maximum 
quantity  of  material  at  a  minimum  cost. 

ELEMENTS 

An  Elevator  Bucket  Dredge  comprises: 

First,  a  Digging  Apparatus  at  the  bow  of  the  boat,  rais- 
ing and  delivering  the  material  into  a  screen. 

Second,  a  Revolving  or  Shaking  Screen  located  about 
amidships  for  the  sizing  and  washing  of  the  material. 

Third,  an  Elevator,  or  Stacker,  at  the  stern,  which  con- 
veys the  over-size  material  from  the  screen  to  a  necessary 
distance  behind  the  dredge  and  on  to  the  tailing  pile. 

Fourth,  a  Gold 
Saving  Device  for 
recovering  the 
precious  metal 
from  the  material 
passing  through 
the  perforations 
of  the  screen. 

Fifth,  a  Pump- 
ing Apparatus 
furnishing  an 
ample  water  sup- 
ply for  washing 
and  sluicing  the 
gravel. 

Sixth,  a  Winch 
controlling  the 

two  bow  lines,  two  stern  lines  and  a  head  line,  as  well  as 
the  spud  lines.  By  these  means  the  dredge  may  be  placed 
and  held  in  any  position  necessary  for  its  operation. 

Each  element  is  complete  in  itself  and  is  combined  in 
regular  coordination,  mounted  on  a  scow,  and  forming  a 
complete,  simple  and  practical  excavating,  screening,  wash- 
ing and  stacking  apparatus,  the  operation  of  which  is  prac- 
tically automatic  and  continuous. 

All  the  above  is  operated  by  two  men  per  shift  at  a  cost 
as  low  as  two  and  one-quarter  cents,  and  seldom  exceeding 
eight  cents  per  cubic  yard. 

5 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO. 


BUCKET     AND    ROLLE 


passing-  through  the  screen  and 
sluice-box  which  saves  the 
gold  and  conveys  the  tail- 
ing a  distance  from  the 
stern  of  the  dredge:  this 
does  away  with  the  stacker 
or  elevator. 

BUCKET   LINE 
The    excavating    appara- 
tus  consists   of   an   endless 
chain   of   buckets    of   great 
weight  and  strength  that  will 


We  generally  advise  the 
stacker  type  of  dredge, 
which  is  in  part  a  combina- 
tion of  gold-saving  tables 
with  a  tailing  stacker  at  the 
rear  of  the  dredge  for  ele- 
vating the  over-size  mate- 
rial from  the  screen.  Under 
some  conditions,  we  recom- 
mend the  sluice-box  type  of 
dredge  of  the  single  lift 
style,  wherein  tlie  buckets 
dump  the  material  into  a 
short  screen  wnth  large  per- 
forations, the  under-size 
falling  directly  into  a  long 


CLOSE-CONNECTED     BUCKETS 


cut  and  dig,  not  only  the 
gravel,  but  the 
bedrock.  The  ac- 
tion of  the  buckets 
is  slow  and  power- 
ful, so  that  the 
g  o  1  d-b  earing 
gravel  is  picked 
up  in  mass  with 
very  little  agita- 
tion. As  the  buck- 
ets are  water- 
tight,  there  is  no 
opportunity  for 
the  gold  to  be  lost 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 

and  the  material  is  delivered  into  the  washing  and  separat- 
ing screen  in  an  almost  continual  stream  under  the  best  con- 
ditions for  the  saving  of  the  metallic  content. 

Generally  the  close-connected  type  of  bucket  line  is  used, 
that  is,  each  bucket  connected  directly  to  the  next  one;  but 
under  some  conditions,  the  open  type  is  advisable.  Then 
the  buckets  are  spaced  by  a  connecting  link,  thus  giving 
alternate  bucket  and  link. 

This  link  is  so  constructed  that  in  digging  it  also  carries 
about  a  third  of  a  bucketful  of  material.  It  is  so  made  that 
the  hood  and  lip,  completing  the  bucket,  may  be  put  on  to 
the  link  after  the  dredge  has  been  operated  some  time,  if  the 
ground  should  prove  this  to  be  advisable,  thus  making  a  close- 
connected  bucket  line,  as  illustrated  on  page  4. 


BUCKET    LADDER 


LADDER 

The  ladder  is  of  the  built-up 
girder  type  made  of  angles 
and  plates  most  substantially 
braced  and  reinforced  through- 
out its  length  (built  in  sections 
for  transportation)  and  hung 
by  its  upper  end  to  the  main 
gantry  on  massive  steel  cast- 
ings. 

LOWER    TUMBLER 

At  the  lower  end  of  this 
ladder  a  lower  tumbler  is  car- 


LOWER    TUMBLER 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO. 

ried  in  heavy  cast  steel,  water  and  grit-proof  bearings.  This 
tumbler  is  made  of  a  special  tough,  hard,  cast  steel  and  fitted 
with  manganese  steel  wearing  plates  that  are  readily  renewed 
when  worn  out. 


UPPER    TUMBLER     AND     SHAFT 


UPPER  TUMBLER 

The  upper  tumbler,  which  drives  the  bucket  line,  is 
faced  with  renewable  manganese  steel  plates  and  is  carried 
on  a  shaft  just  beyond  the  upper  end  of  the  ladder;  this 
shaft  is  driven  by  a  double  set  of  cast  steel  gears  mounted 

on  each  end  of  the 
shaft  with  the  upper 
tumbler  between 
them.  This  driving 
of  the  upper  tumbler 
shaft  from  both  ends 
prevents  its  twisting 
and  breaking  in  the 

STEEL    DRIVING    GEARS  UliddlC,       aS       SO      OftCU 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 


MAIX    DRIVE    BEARINGS    WITH    3-INCH    STANDARD 
BEARING  ON   TOP  TO   SHOW   COMPARATIVE   SIZES 


happened  with  the  old  style  of  single  drive  from  one  end  of 
shaft  only. 

All  of  this  driving  gear  is  mounted  on  structural  steel 
v^ork  so  as  to  be  self-contained  and  always  in  perfect  align- 
ment. Carrying  rollers  are  mounted  on  the  ladder  every 
few  feet,  for  the  buckets  to  travel  over ;  these  rollers  revolve 
in  dirt-protected  bear- 
ings of  the  ball  and 
socket  order,  so  that 
they  adjust  themselves 
to  any  uneven  move- 
ment of  the  ladder  and 
never  get  stuck. 

Each  roller,  with  its 
shaft  is  cast  all  in  one 
piece,  thus  doing  aw^ay 
with  the  eld  trouble  of 
their  becoming  loose 
on  the  shaft.  The  ladder,  with  its  line  of  buckets,  is  raised 
from  the  outer  end  by  a  separate  winch  driven  by  the  main 
bucket  line  engine  or  motor.  This  arrangement  obtains  the 
benefit  of  the  largest  power  unit  in  the  dredge  to  raise  the 

ladder  as  quickly  as 
possible,  as  time  occu- 
pied in  raising  the  lad- 
der is  lost  in  digging. 
The  digging  end  of 
the  dredge  is  the  most 
important  part,  as  the 
data  from  operating 
dredges  show  that  at 
least  twenty-five  per 
cent  of  all  the  stop- 
pages and  troubles  on 
board  are  due  to  the 
bucket  line.  Therefore,  we  have  made  every  effort  to  de- 
velop this  end  to  its  highest  efficiency,  and  our  buckets, 
pins,  lips,  etc.,  are  larger,  stronger  and  heavier  than  those 
of  any  other  manufacturers.  The  material  as  it  is  dug  and 
elevated  is  dumped  into  a  hopper,  from  which  it  is  fed  into 
the  screen. 


LADDER    WITH    CARRYING    ROLLERS 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO. 

SCREEN 

This  screen  is  either  of  the  revolving  or  shaking  type, 
depending  on  the  character  of  the  material  to  be  handled, 
and  it  is  set  on  a  grade  so  that  the  material  gradually  travels 
through  its  length,  while  a  perforated  water  pipe  furnishes 

ample  water 
to  all  parts 
of  the  screen 
for  thorough- 
ly washing 
the  gravel 
and  releasing 
all  the  gold 
contained 
therein. 

Our  revolv- 
ing screens 
are  carried  on 
rollers  which 
are  mounted 


REVOLVING    SCREEN    DRIVE 


in  special  water 
are  cast  as  an 
integral  part  of 
the  roller  so  as 
to  avoid  many 
troubles  that 
arise  from  these 
rollers  coming 
loose  on  their 
shafts.  Ample 
adjustment  is 
provided  in 
these  bearings 
for  all  wear. 


and    grit-proof    bearings.      The    shafts 


SCREEN    ROLLER    AND    BEARINGS 


TABLES  AND  SLUICES 

The  smaller  gravel  and  sand  pass  through  the  perfora- 
tions of  the  screen,  together  with  the  gold,  and  are  distrib- 
uted evenly,  by  a  special  device,  over  the  tables,  which  are 
designed  to  suit  the  various  characteristics  of  the  gold.  This 
distributing  device  is  most  important,  and  it  automatically 


10 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 

provides  each  table  with  its  requisite  proportion  of  gravel  so 
that  there  is  no  overloading  of  any  one  table.  The  gold  is 
caught  either  by  interference,  or  by  gravity,  often  by  the  aid 
of  quicksilver.  Gold,  microscopically  fine,  is  thus  success- 
fully recovered  by  our  design  of  distributing  device  and 
tables.  Most  of  the  gold  is  recovered  on  the  first  few  inches 
of  the  tables,  but  sluice-boxes  are  provided  with  angle  iron 
rifBes  (which  gives  a  good  wearing  bottom)  to  convey  the 
tailing  to  the  stern  of  the  dredge.  Very  little  gold  ever 
travels  so  far,  thus  proving  the  efficiency  of  the  tables  as  a 
gold  saving  device. 

STACKER 

The  over-size  material  that  is  discharged  from  the  end 
of  the  screen  is  deposited  on  the  conveyor  belt,  which  runs 
on  specially  constructed 
rollers,  mounted  in 
water-proof  bearings, 
and  carried  on  a  struc- 
tural steel  ladder  simi- 
lar to  the  digging  lad- 
der, but  lighter  in  con- 
struction. The  now 
barren  gravel  is  dis- 
charged on  the  tailing 
pile  at  such  a  height  as 
to  prevent  interference 
with  the  movements  of 
the  dredge. 

PUMPS 

Our  centrifugal  pump,  for  furnishing  the  water  for  aW 
washing  purposes,  is  specially  designed  for  this  particular 
work,  being  of  large  diameter  and  running  at  a  moderate 
speed,  thus  giving  durability  and  economy.  It  is  direct- 
connected  to  a  marine  engine,  in  our  steam  dredge,  and  to 
an  electric  motor,  in  the  electrically-driven  dredge.  This 
pump  furnishes  ample  water  to  the  screen  for  all  washing 
purposes.  A  smaller  pump  is  used  for  cleaning  up,  wash- 
ing down  the  decks,  pumping  out  the  bilge,  and  priming  the 
larger  pumps. 


TAILINGS      PILES 


II 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO. 


CENTRIFUGAL     PUMP 


In  some  in- 
stances a  centrif- 
ug-al  sand  pump 
is  required  for 
elevating-  and 
conveying  fine 
tailing  a  distance 
to  the  rear  of  the 
dredge. 

WINCH 

One  of  the 
most  important 
features  of  oper- 
ation is  the  meth- 
od of  handling 
the  dredge,  and 
it  is  owing  to  this 
excellence  in  our 
design  of  winch 
that  a  machine 
handling  5000  cubic  yards  per  day  requires  only  two  men 
on  a  shift  to  operate  same. 

This  facility  in  moving  the  dredge  is  accomplished  by 
the  use  of  a  winch  or  winding  engine,  having  six  or  more 
drums,  under  the  direct 
control  of  the  operator,  or 
winchman.  The  four  side 
lines  run  from  this  winch 
to  each  corner  of  the 
dredge  and  are  then  led  to 
the  shore  and  anchored. 

A  fifth,  the  head  line, 
leads  from  another  drum 
to  the  bow  and  forward, 
and  is  anchored  a  few 
hundred  feet  ahead  of  the 
dredge,  thus  holding  it  in 
position  against  the  dig- 
ging bank. 

By  the  four  side  lines 
and  the  one  head  line  the 


WINCH 


12 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 


CONTROLLING    LEVERS    IN    PILOT    HOUSE 


Operator  can  place  and  hold  the  dredge  in  any  position  he 
desires  by  a  simple  movement  of  levers. 

The  throttle  valves  and  controlling  apparatus  for  all 
of  the  machinery  of  the  dredge  are  placed  in  a  pilot  house, 
so  situated  as  to  command  a  full  view  of  the  operations.  The 
winchman  has  direct  control  of  all  of  the  apparatus  on  the 
dredge  through  a  num- 
ber of  levers  arranged 
similarly  to  those  in 
a  railroad  switching 
tower  and  placed  in  the 
pilot  house. 

On  our  electrically- 
driven  dredge,  the 
switchboard  and  all 
various  motor  controls 
are  located  in  the  pilot 
house  under  the  hand 
of  the  winchman,  and 
the  only  other  help  re- 
quired on  board  is  an  oiler,  or  motorman. 

Our  winch  has  many  distinctive  features;  each  drum 
is  mounted  in  its  own  independent  bearings  at  each  end  and 
is  not  carried  by  the  shaft,  as  ordinarily  arranged.  There- 
fore, there 
is  no  diffi- 
culty in  lu- 
brica  t  ing 
the  bear- 
ings of  the 
drums  and 
the  shafts 
are  not 
strained  by 
the  pull  of 
the  lines  on 
the  drums 
or  by  the 
power  or 
p  r  e  s  sure 
exerted  by  applying  the  brakes  to  the  drums.    The  sole  func- 

13 


INTERIOR    OF    HULL    SHOWING    FRAMING 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO 


tion  of  the  shaft  is  to  carry  the  clutches  that  revolve  the 
drums.  These  points  will  be  readily  appreciated  by  all  ex- 
perienced winchmen. 

The  winch  is  far  stronger  and  simpler  than  any  other 
similar  machine  of  today.  It  is  assembled  in  a  massive  frame 
of  structural  steel  so  that  the  alignment  is  perfect  and  per- 
manent and  the  whole  is  self-contained. 

HULL 

All  of  the  machinery  is  mounted  on  a  scow  having  a 
center  well  extending  aft  to  about  amidships;  this  scow  is 
designed  according  to  the  requirements  and  must  be  ex- 
ceedingly stiff.  It  is  stanchly  built  of  the  best  selected  tim- 
ber, with  heavy  frames  closely  spaced  and  tied  together  by 
longitudinal  stringers 
and  by  two  solid  bulk- 
heads running  fore  and 
aft  through  the  middle 
of  scow  on  each  side  of 
the  well. 

STEEL  SUPER- 
STRUCTURE 

We  have  just  com- 
pleted a  dredge  wherein 
the  forward,  main  and 
stern  gantries,  together 
with  the  entire  truss 
work,  are  of  structural 
steel  latticed  girders ; 
the  whole,  when  com- 
pleted, forms  a  Howe 
Trussed  Girder  extend- 
ing the  entire  length  of  the  dredge,  as  illustrated  on  page  2. 
In  this  construction,  it  will  be  noticed  that  all  of  the 
strains  in  digging  are  confined  within  this  complete  steel 
structure  and  are  not  transmitted  through  the  hull,  as  in 
the  ordinary  form  of  wooden  construction,  wherein  the 
wooden  truss  is  built  up  as  part  of  the  hull.  This  structural 
steel  truss,  or  girder,  is  complete  within  itself  and  simply 
rests  on  the  bottom  of  the  hull,  which  only  serves  to  float  it. 


DETAIL    OF    STEEL    GANTRY 


14 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 


This  relieves  the  hull  from  many  of  the  strains  that  tend  to 
wreck  it. 

This  is  quite  a  radical  departure  from  anything  here- 
tofore attempted,  and  while  it  makes  quite  an  expensive 
form  of  construction,  still  we  believe  that  the  results  justify 
this  expense.  We  are  also  prepared  to  design  and  build  com- 
plete steel  hulls  when  advisable. 
These  are  so  built  that  they  can 
be  knocked  down  for  ship- 
ment or  transportation, 
and  readily  assembled 
on  the  ground. 


MAIN     DRIVE     ENGINE 


ENGINES 

In  the  steam-driven  dredge  the  main  bucket-drive  en- 
gine is  of  the  double-cylinder  marine  type,  reversible,  ex- 
ceedingly heavy,  with  extra  large  shaft  and  cranks,  and  in 
our  large  size,  is  compound  condensing.  The  water  used  in 
washing  the  gravel  is  pumped  through  the  condenser  on 


15 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO. 


WATER    TUBE    BOILER 


its  way  to  the  screen; 
and,  therefore,  serves 
for  both  condensing 
and  washing  pur- 
poses. Auxihary  en- 
gines of  special  de- 
sign and  of  substan- 
tial character  serve  to 
drive  the  other  appa- 
ratus on  board,  such 
as  the  screen,  winch 
and  conveyor. 

BOILER 
Our  boiler,  in  most 
instances,  is  of  a  spe- 
cial water-tube  type; 
and  where  wood  is  to  be  used,  it  is  designed  with  an  extra 
large  and  deep  furnace,  which  is  so 
important  in  burning  the  poorer 
grades  of  wood.  All  of  the  tubes  in 
this  boiler  are  straight  and  acces- 
sible, and  therefore  readily  cleaned. 
This  boiler  is  self-contained  and  set 
within  heavy  sheet  iron  work,  lined 
with  asbestos,  excepting  the  furnace, 
which  is  lined  with  firebrick  so  ar-  electric  motor 

ranged  as  to  be  readily  renewed. 
As  the  exhaust  steam  is  condensed 
and  returned  to  the  boiler,  there  is 
no  danger  of  the  boiler  becoming 
fouled  with  mud  or  scale. 

ELECTRICAL  EQUIPMENT 

Our  steam  dredge  is  usually  ar- 
ranged so  that  it  can  be  changed  in- 
to an  electrically-driven  dredge  by 
substituting  electric  motors  for  the 
engines  and  taking  off  the  boiler. 
Alternate  current  is  always  used  on 
account  of  its  many  advantages  in 

i6 


generating  set 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 

long-distance  transmission;  the  motors,  being  of  the  induc- 
tion type,  are  also  better  suited  for  dredging  purposes  than 
direct  current  motors. 

The  motors  are  all  fused  to  cut  out  at  a  certain  over- 
load, and  circuit-breakers  are  also  installed  to  act  auto- 
matically at  a  desired  overload.  The  current  is  brought  on 
board  the  dredge  through  water-proof  flexible  cable  at  high 
tension,  and  then  transformed  or  stepped  down  for  the  dif- 
ferent motors,  as  well  as  for  the  lighting  circuits.  In  our 
steam-driven  dredge  a  complete  self-contained,  steam-driven 
generator  or  dynamo  set  is  furnished  for  lighting  the 
dredge. 

On  our  electric  dredge  we  have  a  separate  motor  for 
each  drive.  The  bucket-line  driving  motor  is  connected  by 
a  belt  and  gearing  so  as  to  give  flexibility,  and  when  the 
buckets  strike  against  an  obstruction  in  digging,  an  auto- 
matic release,  or  circuit-breaker,  stops  the  chain  of  buckets 
instantly.   Most  of  the  motors  on  board  are  direct-connected. 

OUR  IDEALS 

There  has  been  a  marked  tendency  on  the  part  of  sev- 
eral builders  of  gold  dredges  to  standardize  design;  and  in 
order  to  save  expense,  to  supply  a  stock  dredge  of  one  design 
for  all  kinds  of  work.  This  is  like  attempting  to  cure  all  ills 
with  a  universal  remedy — a  manifest  impossibility. 

We  believe  that  each  dredge  should  be  designed  and 
constructed  to  suit  the  conditions  under  which  it  is  to  oper- 
ate, therefore  we  study  each  proposition  thoroughly  and  de- 
sign and  build  accordingly,  instead  of  trying  to  make  one 
equipment  fit  all  conditions. 

In  designing  our  dredge,  we  have  made  simplicity  one 
of  the  fundamental  features,  and  we  have  made  a  specialty 
of  developing  the  wearing  parts,  making  them  renewable 
at  every  point  practicable  with  as  little  expense  and  loss  of 
time  as  possible.  We  use  special  hard  steels  in  every  place 
advisable  in  order  to  give  extra  long  life  and  durability  to 
these  parts. 

A  greater  factor  of  safety  is  used  in  dredging  than  in 
any  other  line  of  work,  for  the  repairs  and  consequent  shut- 
downs must  be  kept  at  a  minimum.  These  are  the  most 
serious  items  of  expense  in  operating. 

17 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO. 

EXPORT  WORK 

Our  geographical  position  favors  us  for  all  export  work. 
Our  definite  knowledge  of  all  the  various  placer  grounds  of 
the  world,  and  especially  the  particular  conditions  under 
which  they  exist,  enables  us  to  command  this  export  work. 
Since  we. have  become  active  in  this  field,  we  have  secured 
all  the  contracts  for  every  dredge  that  has  been  exported 
from  this  country. 

We  have  given  special  attention  to  conditions  in  Colom- 
bia, British,  Dutch  and  French  Guiana,  Brazil,  Venezuela, 
Terra  del  Fuego  and  Siberia,  and  we  have  the  knowledge 
that  best  fits  us  to  build  dredges  for  these  and  other  foreign 
countries.  We  design  our  dredges  and  make  shipment  ac- 
cording to  these  conditions,  giving  due  regard  to  weight  and 
size  of  largest  pieces. 

As  we  are  making  a  specialty  of  export  work,  we  find 
that  our  dredges  are  often  compared  with  those  of  foreign 
makers,  and  in  so  doing,  one  discovers  a  great  difiference  in 
prices  and  a  greater  difiference  in  weights.  We  therefore 
ask  that  in  making  this  comparison,  that  it  be  noted  that  the 
American  gold  dredges  are  usually  more  than  double  the 
weight  of  the  foreign  dredges,  and  the  use  of  special  high 
grades  of  steel  is  extensively  carried  out  by  us.  While  our 
cost  is  much  greater,  the  net  results  more  than  justify  this 
extra  cost. 

The  ideal  dredge  handles  a  large  yardage  at  a  low  cost 
and  our  dredge  has  been  developed  to  this  ideal.  The  result 
is  that  the  American  dredges  are  digging  far  more  ground 
and  make  a  cleaner  saving  at  less  cost  per  cubic  yard  than 
are  any  other  dredges  of  today.  Therefore,  if  one  is  con- 
sidering final,  definite  results,  they  will  do  well  to  study  the 
history  and  success  of  American  dredges  and  make  a  close 
comparison  with  other  dredges  before  deciding. 

A  brief  comparison  between  one  of  the  leading  European 
makes  and  our  dredge  is  herewith  given  below : 

Foreign  Dredge  American  Dredge 

Scow        90'  long,  25'  wide,  7'  deep  100'  long,  36'  wide,  7'  deep 


Capacity  of   Buckets  . 

Speed   of   Buckets    .  . 

Length  of  Ladder  .  . 

Revolving    Screen    .  . 
Main    Drive    Engine 


4^  cu.  ft.  each  3^  ft.  each 

12  per  minute  25  to  30  per  minute 

60'  60' 

3' 9"  dia.,  14'  long  4' 6"  dia.,  22'  long 

25  horse-power  50  horse-power 


Total  Weight  of  Machinery   80  tons  165  tons 

18 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 

It  will  readily  be  seen  from  this,  that,  while  the 
buckets  of  the  foreign  dredge  are  twenty-five  per  cent  larger, 
yet  they  have  only  one-half  the  power  to  drive  them  and  they 
run  less  than  one-half  as  fast.  They  also  weigh  only  half  as 
much.  The  great  disparity  in  total  weight  of  machinery 
speaks   for   itself  and  readily  explains   why  the  American 


■wp-;"^'^' 


''''''''''-mi 


^if^ 


HULL  IN    COURSE   OF   ERECTION 


liS^UkOr. 


dredges  stand  up  to  the  hardest  kind  of  work,  and  give  far 
more  profitable  and  satisfactory  results  in  their  operation. 
We  prefer  to  build  and  erect  dredges  complete  and 
turn  them  over  running,  or  we  will  furnish  the  machinery 
only  f.  o.  b.,  in  which  case  we  send  a  full  set  of  working 
plans  and  instructions.  We  will  send  competent  men  to 
superintend  the  entire  construction  of  hull  and  erection  of 

machinery  and  put  the 
dredge  in  full  and  complete 
operation,  breaking  in  and 
training  the  local  laborers  to 
operate  same. 

Where  two  or  more 
dredges  are  to  be  installed, 
it  is  generally  advisable  to 
have  them  electrically-driven 
with  the  power-generating 
station  located  where  convenient  to  fuel,  etc.,  and  to  have  the 
current  transmitted  to  the  dredge.  This  arrangement  saves 
room  on  board  the  dredge,  by  doing  away  with  the  boiler, 


STACK    OF    BUCKETS 


19 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO. 

etc.,  and  it  is  also  a  saving  in  doing  away  with  the  hauHng 
and  handHng  of  fuel. 

POWER  PLANTS 

Where  head  and  quantity  of  water  can  be  secured,  elec- 
trical power  can  be  generated  and  transmitted  any  reasonable 
distance  to  the  dredge.  Where  a  central  power-generating 
station  is  required,  we  are  prepared  to  design  and  build  the 
same  complete  in  every  detail,  either  with  water  or  steam 
power ;  we  have  had  large  experience  in  this  line  of  work. 

As  no  two  dredge  propositions  are  alike,  we  prefer  to 
have  one  of  our  representatives  visit  the  ground,  and  we 
have  competent  engineers  for  this  particular  work.     Thus 

we  can,  in  each  particular  instance, 
recommend   and   advise   to   the   best 
advantage,   concerning  the  size  and 
other  details  of  the  dredge  that  al- 
ways require  modifications  to  fit  the 
particular  conditions  peculiar  to  each 
dredging     area.       We 
have  had  considerable 
experience  in  working 
ground     containing     a 
large      percentage     of 
clay ;  we  have  been  able 
to    handle    it    success- 
fully with   our   special 
devices. 


nt 

I 


w^ 


POWER    HOUSE CENTRAL    PLANT 


SIZES  AND  CAPACITIES 

Dredges  are  commonly  known  by  the  size  of  the  buckets, 
that  is,  the  cubical  contents  of  each  bucket,  and  the  following 
sizes  have  been  largely  adhered  to : 

3>4  cubic  foot  buckets,  which  have  a  theoretical  capacity 
of  about  3000  cubic  yards  in  24  hours. 

5  cubic  foot  buckets,  which  have  a  theoretical  capacity 
of  about  5000  cubic  yards  in  24  hours. 

7  cubic  foot  buckets,  which  have  a  theoretical  capacity 
of  about  6500  cubic  yards  in  24  hours. 

10  cubic  foot  buckets,  which  have  a  theoretical  capacity 
of  about  9000  cubic  yards  in  24  hours. 


20 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 

13  cubic  foot  buckets,  which  have  a  theoretical  capacity 
of  about  12,000  cubic  yards  in  24  hours. 

Their  actual  digging  capacity  will  vary  considerably  and 
is  dependent,  not  only  upon  the  character  of  the  ground,  but 
also  upon  the  ability  of  the  dredge-man  and  many  local  con- 
ditions. A  fair  average,  however,  in  actual  digging  is  about 
from  60  to  70  per  cent  of  the  theoretical  capacity. 

Prospecting. — Prospecting  dredging  ground  is  usually 
simple  and  cheap,  and  money  devoted  to  this  object  makes 
far  more  certain  the  knowledge  of  returns,  and  it  results  in 
the  installation  of  suitable  dredges.  The  Empire  Hand 
Prospecting  Drill  is  well  adapted  for  this  work. 

We  advise  careful  prospecting  of  the  ground  before 
the  installation  of  the  dredge;  for  it  is  far  more  satis- 
factory for  you  to  have  the  dredge  designed  and  built  so  that 
it  is  best  adapted  to  the  conditions  under  which  it  is  to  oper- 
ate. We  also  take  pride  in  having  our  dredges  work  well  and 
thus  be  worthy  of  our  name.  We  build  nothing  but  gold- 
dredging  machinery,  and  therefore  we  must  build  the  best 
gold  dredges,  otherwise  we  would  fail,  for  we  have  no  other 
line  of  product  to  rely  on.  With  all  other  manufacturers, 
dredge  building  is  merely  a  side  issue. 

DREDGING 

The  popular  conception  of  mining  enterprises  is  one  of 
extremely  large  returns  on  an  investment,  or  nothing  at  all; 
in  other  w^ords,  a  gamble  where  luck  and  chance  govern  all. 
On  the  other  hand,  industrial  or  commercial  enterprises  are 
generally  supposed  to  give  a  moderate  but  sure  profit  on  the 
investment.  It  has  remained  for  the  dredging  of  gold,  from 
alluvial  areas,  to  upset  previous  notions  in  these  regards  and 
to  demonstrate  beyond  a  question  that  such  mining  is  as 
much  a  business  enterprise  as  is  any  manufacturing  indus- 
try. It  has  the  great  advantage  of  having  an  absolutely  un- 
limited and  unfluctuating  demand  for  its  product  which  is 
not  possessed  by  any  other  business  than  that  of  producing 
gold,  the  standard  of  all  values. 

For  this  reason  gold-dredging  is  attracting  widespread 
attention  among  investors  and  offers  great  inducements  to 
them;   and   when   the   ground   is   properly   prospected   and 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO. 

equipped  with  a  skillfully  designed  and  well-built  dredge  the 
returns  can  be  predicted  with  an  exactness  that  challenges 
belief. .  Thus,  corporations  operating  gold  dredges  have  cal- 
culated returns  for  years  in  advance,  and  results  have  shown 
an  accuracy  in  forecasting  the  returns  that  is  not  to  be 
equalled  in  manufacturing,  or  in  the  marketing  of  any  other 
products.  Market  conditions,  supply  and  demand,  as  well 
as  other  changeable  factors,  set  all  calculations  at  variance, 
while  gold — the  product  of  gold-dredging — has  a  market  and 
a  value  absolutely  unwavering  and  a  demand  unlimited.  In 
times  of  panic  or  business  depression,  the  gold  dredges  roll 
on,  and  their  products,  in  greater  demand  than  ever,  are  sent 
to  the  mint  in  exchange  for  gold  coin. 

CONDITIONS 

It  is  not  easy  to  state  in  exact  terms  just  what  condi- 
tions are  essential  for  success  in  gold-dredging,  but  there  are 
a  number  of  factors  which  have  such  an  individual  import- 
ance that  the  lack  of  any  one  of  them  may  result  in  failure 
where  otherwise  success  should  have  been  attained. 

There  is  no  one  governing  condition  more  important 
than  machinery  of  design  and  construction  suitable  for  work- 
ing in  the  area  chosen  for  exploitation  by  the  dredging 
method.  Thus,  there  are  several  instances  where  faulty  de- 
sign or  construction  have  wrecked  undertakings  where  a 
plentitude  of  gold  should  have  furnished  rich  reward.  There- 
fore, we  emphasize  not  only  the  advantage  of  care  in  the 
selection  of  the  dredging  plant,  but  also  the  importance  of 
thorough  and  careful  investigation  of  the  dredging  ground 
under  consideration,  so  that  the  dredge  may  be  designed  and 
built  to  meet  the  existing  conditions.  To  assist  in  this  mat- 
ter, we  are  manufacturing  the  Empire  Hand  Prospecting 
Drill,  which  is  the  best  tool  for  testing  dredging  ground. 

We  are  dredge  operators  ourselves,  and  we  are  in  a 
position  to  advise  prospective  buyers  in  all  regards,  and  a 
wide  and  varied  experience  makes  our  advices  on  dredging 
matters  valuable. 

We  are  also  in  a  position  to  assist  those  having  dredging 
ground  of  proven  value,  in  financing  the  same.  Unlike  some 
manufacturers,  we  have  no  fads  or  fancies,  and  our  sole  ob- 
ject is  to  build  and  supply  suitable  dredges  of  great  weight 

22 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 

and  strength  and  of  the  best  material  and  designed  for  the 
most  economical  operation. 

DREDGING  POSSIBILITIES 

The  application  of  the  dredging  process  is  wide,  and 
it  is  becoming  more  comprehensive.  In  early  operations 
it  was  confined  to  river  beds,  but  now  flats  adjacent  to  rivers, 
benches  or  terraces  nearby,  deposits  in  arid  regions,  sea 
beaches  and  bottoms,  lake  bottoms  and  frozen  gravel  in  frigid 
zones,  are  also  handled  with  success.  The  one  paradox  seems 
to  be  the  dredging  of  arid  areas,  but  water  sufficient  for 
floating  dredges  is  now  had  by  pumping  from  deep  wells, 
drilled  for  that  purpose  with  the  Empire  Hand  Drill.  The 
quantity  of  water  required  by  dredge  is  small,  generally 
500  gallons  per  minute  is  ample. 

Thus,  dredging  is  a  wide  industry  and  includes  such 
enterprises  as  excavating  lake  bottoms  for  Aztec  ornaments 
of  gold  (cast  into  the  waters  to  acquire  favor  from  the  gods 
and  protection  from  the  invading  Spaniards),  the  recovery 
of  diamonds,  tin  and  other  metals  and  minerals  existing  in 
deposits  either  subaqueous  or  subarial. 

The  ultimate  depth  to  which  dredges  can  dig  has  not 
been  determined,  and  alluvion  about  100  feet  deep  is  now 
being  handled  with  great  success.  The  probability  is  that 
this  depth  will  be  materially  increased.  Greater  depths 
have  not  been  attempted  at  present,  because  no  areas  pos- 
sessing dredgeable  characteristics  and  of  greater  depth  than 
100  feet  have- been  investigated.  Banks  as  high  as  30  feet 
above  the  water  level  are  successfully  handled. 

In  order  that  one  may  understand  what  difficult  ground 
has  been  successfully  dredged,  and  in  many  cases  seemingly 
unsurmountable  obstacles  having  been  encountered,  we  cite 
a  few  examples,  as  follows:  Dredging  in  arid  regions  (as 
noted  before)  ;  dredging  cemented  gravel  so  indurated  that 
it  must  be  blasted;  dredging  frozen  gravel  some  of  which 
must  first  be  thawed;  dredging  gravel  lying  on  a  tough, 
blocky,  schist  bedrock,  and  to  a  depth  of  six  feet  into  the 
bedrock ;  dredging  gravel  which  contains  occasional  boulders 
weighing  two  tons,  and  having  overburden  over  thirty  feet 
deep  or  sometimes  containing  tenacious  clay  and  buried  tim- 
bers.    These  are  a  few  instances  of  what  may  be  accom- 

23 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO. 

plished  where  intelligent  investigation,  appropriately  de- 
signed and  well  constructed  machinery  have  combined  to 
bring  about  great  success. 

DREDGING  DRY  PLACERS 

It  is  often  supposed  that  dredging  can  only  be  carried 
on  in  rivers,  or  that  the  placer  must  be  fully  under  water. 
This  is  erroneous,  as  interior  or  paddock  dredging  is  car- 
ried on  where  there  is  no  body  of  water;  in  fact,  it  may  be 
done  on  elevated  benches  or  plateaus,  or  in  flat  and  arid 
areas  devoid  of  any  running  water.  To  accomplish  this  it  is 
only  necessary  to  form  a  small  pond  about  two  hundred  feet 
square  and  four  or  five  feet  deep.  This  may  be  done  by  ex- 
cavating or  damming,  thus  forming  a  pond  to  float  the 
dredge  in ;  and  a  small  supply  of  water,  which  can  be  pumped 
or  flumed  from  a  distance,  will  take  care  of  the  seepage  and 
evaporation.  In  this  small  pond  the  dredge  can  be  made  to 
travel  over  any  part  of  the  property  and  carry  the  pond  along 
with  it,  inasmuch  as  the  dredge  fills  in  behind  zvith  the  mate- 
rial that  is  removed  from  the  front. 

The  introduction  of  gold-dredging  has  widened  the  min- 
ing horizon  to  a  considerable  degree,  and  there  are  great 
volumes  of  gold  in  subaqueous  deposits  formerly  unattain- 
able, but  now  placed  within  the  reach  of  recovery  by  this 
process. 

There  are  also  large  amounts  of  gold  in  deposits  sub- 
aqueous not  heretofore  workable  but  that  are  now  success- 
fully exploited  because  of  the  cheapness  of  dredging.  There 
is  only  one  method  of  placer  mining  cheaper  in  operation — 
hydraulic  mining — and  then  only  under  conditions  that  must 
be  considered  unique.  As  a  general  statement,  dredging  is 
the  cheapest  known  method  of  mining,  and  it  is  not  at  all  un- 
likely that  the  lowest  cost  of  hydraulic  mining  ( i  ^  cents  per 
cubic  yard)  will  soon  be  surpassed  in  dredging  (the  lowest 
cost  for  dredging,  at  present,  is  2}^  cents  per  cubic  yard,  with 
further  reductions  in  prospect).  Countries  like  those  of 
South  America  possess  immense  possibilities  in  the  dredging 
field,  having  produced  from  placers  over  Two  Billion  Dollars 
($2,000,000,000.00)  worth  of  gold,  or  about  one-fourth  of 
the  total  gold  product  of  the  world. 

24 


DREDGES   AND   GOLD   DREDGING 

Any  rivers  draining-  auriferous  districts  are  worthy  of 
investigation.  Thus,  all  the  continents  and  many  of  their  sub- 
divisions have  possibilities  awaiting  investigation  and  de- 
velopment of  dredging  areas  which  will  add  materially  to 
the  gold  production  of  the  world. 

HISTORICAL 

The  elevator  or  bucket  type  of  dredge  had  its  origin  in 
the  remote  but  advanced  country  of  New  Zealand,  and  much 
of  its  development  was  brought  about  in  that  country,  but 
it  remained  for  American  enterprise  to  improve  the  New 
Zealand  type  and  bring  it  to  its  present  state  of  perfection. 

In  the  beginning,  the  natives  of  New  Zealand  used  a 
bag,  made  of  sheepskin,  laced  around  or  on  to  an  iron  frame 
which  was  attached  to  the  end  of  a  pole  or  sweep;  this  was 
mounted  on  a  raft  of  crude  construction  and  arranged  so 
that  the  bag  could  be  dragged  along  the  bottom  of  the  river, 
and  when  filled,  raised  and  its  contents  rocked,  or  sluiced, 
and  the  gold  thus  recovered;  man  power  was  used  exclu- 
sively. This  crude  form  finally  evolved  into  the  prototype 
of  today,  having  a  line  of  very  light  sheet-iron  buckets  oper- 
ating at  the  end  of  a  small  boat.  But  it  remained  for  Amer- 
ican ingenuity  to  bring  the  gold  dredge  to  its  present-day 
maximum  development  in  which  we  find  a  machine  of  tre- 
mendous weight,  strength  and  capacity,  digging  approxi- 
mately 200,000  cubic  yards  per  month  in  alluvion  100  feet 
deep,  at  a  less  cost  than  ever  before. 

Many  of  our  features  and  designs  are  covered  by  patents, 
and  we  trust  they  will  be  respected  by  all  other  manufac- 
turers. 

We  have  had  a  broad  experience  in  the  handling  of  large 
quantities  of  material  and  are  particularly  well  equipped  to 
work  out  any  special  designs  in  the  handling  of  gravel  con- 
taining black  sand  and  other  valuable  minerals  or  precious 
stones. 

On  receipt  of  general  information  we  will  be  glad  to 
make  suggestions  and  quote  prices  and  terms. 

Your  correspondence  is  earnestly  solicited. 

NEW  YORK  ENGINEERING  COMPANY. 


25 


NEW      YORK      ENGINEERING      CO 


MINERS'  INCH  MEASURING  BOX 


EXPLANATION    OF    MINERS     INCH    MEASUREMENT 


The  term  "miners'  inch"  is  of  CaHfornia  origin,  and  not 
known  or  used  in  any  other  locahty,  it  being  a  method  of 
measurement  adopted  by  the  various  ditch  companies  in  dis- 
posing of  water  to  their  customers.  The  term  is  more  or  less 
indefinite,  for  the  reason  that  the  water  companies  do  not  all 
use  the  same  head  above  the  center  of  the  aperture,  and  the 
inch  varies  from  1.36  to  1.73  cubic  feet  per  minute;  but  the 
most  common  measurement  is  through  an  aperture  two 
inches  high  and  whatever  length  is  required,  through  a  plank 
iJ4  inches  thick,  as  shown  in  cut.  The  lower  edge  of  the 
aperture  should  be  two  inches  above  the  bottom  of  the  meas- 
uring box,  and  the  plank  five  inches  high  above  the  aperture, 
thus  making  a  six-inch  head  above  the  center  of  the  stream. 
Each  square  inch  of  this  opening  represents  a  miners'  inch, 
which  is  equal  to  a  flow  oi  1^/2  cubic  feet  per  minute. 


26 


TABLE  OF  FLOW  OF  WATER  IN  OPEN  CHAN- 
NELS,  IN  MINERS'  INCHES 

BASE  TO   PERPENDICULAR   OF   THE   SIDE  SLOPES   BEING  AS   3:4 


T.  3.3  Feet. 

T.  4.4  Feet. 

T.  5.5  Feet. 

T.  6.6  Feet. 

T.  7.7  Feet. 

T.  8.8  Feet. 

B.  1.5  Feet. 

B.  2.0  Feet. 

B.  2.5  Feet. 

B.  .1.0  Feet. 

B.  3.5  Feet. 

B.  4.0  Feet. 

Fall  per 

D.  1.2  Feet. 

D.  1.6  Feet. 

D.  2.0  Feet. 

D.  2.4  Feet. 

D.  2.8  Feet. 

D.  3.2  Feet. 

Mile 

Section 

Section 

Section 

Section 

Section 

Section 

in  Feet. 

2.88 

5-12 

8.0 

11.52 

15.68 

20.48 

Sq.  Feet. 

Sq.  Feet. 

Sq.  Feet. 

Sq.  Feet. 

Sq.  Feet. 

Sq.  Feet. 

4 

88.3 

182.3 

371.3 

617.3 

897.6 

1350.0 

5 

99.0 

204.0 

415.5 

674.6 

1070.0 

1510.0 

6 

108.3 

223.3 

455.0 

739.0 

1096.0 

1654.0 

7 

114.0 

241.3 

491.3 

798.0 

1187.0 

1786.0 

8 

125.0 

257.6 

525.0 

853.3 

1270.0 

1909.0 

9 

132.6 

273.6 

557.0 

905.0 

1346.0 

2025.0 

10 

139.6 

289.0 

590.0 

954.0 

1419.0 

2135.0 

11 

146.6 

302.3 

615.3 

1000.6 

1488.0 

2240.0 

12 

153.3 

316.0 

643.3 

1045.0 

1555.0 

2355.0 

13 

159.3 

328.6 

669.3 

1087.6 

1618.0 

2434.0 

14 

165.5 

341.3 

694.6 

1129.0 

1680.0 

2526.0 

IS 

171.3 

353.3 

719.6 

1168.0 

1738.0 

2615.0 

16 

176.6 

364.6 

742.3 

1206.0 

1800.0 

2700.0 

17 

182.3 

376.0 

765.3 

1243.0 

1850.0 

2784.0 

18 

187.6 

336.6 

787.6 

1280.0 

1904.0 

2866.0 

19 

192.6 

397.3 

809.3 

1315.0 

1952.0 

2943.0 

20 

197.6 

407.6 

830.0 

1349.0 

2007.0 

3020.0 

21 

202.6 

418.0 

851.0 

1382.0 

2056.0 

3094.0 

22 

207.3 

427.6 

870.6 

1415.0 

2105.0 

3166.0 

23 

212.0 

437.3 

890.3 

1450.0 

2152.C 

3238.0 

24 

216.6 

446.6 

909.6 

H78.0 

2198.0 

3307.0 

25 

221.0 

457.3 

932.6 

1508.0 

2244.0 

3370.0 

T.  9.9  Feet. 

T.  1 1  Feet. 

T.  13.2  Feet. 

T.  16.4  Feet. 

T.  17.6  Feet. 

T.  19.8  Feet. 

Fall  per 

B.  4.5  Feet. 

B.     5  Feet. 

B.    6.0  Feet. 

B.     7.0  Feet. 

B.    8.0  Feet. 

B.    9.0  Feet. 

Mile 

D.  3.6  Feet. 

D.    4  Feet. 

D.    4.8  Feet. 

D.    .5.6  Feet. 

D.    6.4  Feet. 

D.    7-2  Feet. 

in  Feet. 

Section 

Section 

Section 

Section 

Section 

Section 

25.92 

32 

46.09 

62.72 

81.92 
Sq.  Feet. 

103.68 

Sq.  Feet. 

Sq.  Feet. 

Sq.  Feet. 

Sq.  Feet. 

Sq.  Feet. 

4 

1870.0 

2503.0 

3903.0 

6430.0 

9223.0 

12613.0 

5 

2090.0 

2763.0 

4363.0 

7190.0 

10310.0 

14103.0 

6 

2290.0 

3026.0 

4780.0 

7876.0 

11293.0 

15450.0 

7 

2473.0 

3270.0 

5160.0 

8510.0 

12200.0 

16683.0 

8 

2651.0 

3493.0 

5516.0 

9096.0 

13040.0 

17836.0 

9 

2808.0 

3703.0 

5853.0 

9650.0 

13830.0 

18920.0 

10 

2956.0 

3903.0 

6170.0 

10166.0 

14580.0 

19940.0 

11 

3106.0 

4096.0 

6470.0 

10663.0 

15290.0 

20440.0 

12 

3238.0 

4280.0 

6760.0 

11133.0 

15970.0 

21846.0 

13 

3371.0 

4453.0 

7036.0 

11593.0 

16623.0 

22736.0 

14 

3498.0 

4623.0 

7300.0 

12030.0 

17250.0 

23593.0 

15 

3621.0 

4783.0 

7555.0 

12453.0 

17856.0 

24426.0 

16 

3740.0 

4933.0 

7803.0 

12863.0 

18443.0 

25223.0 

17 

3855.0 

5080.0 

8043.0 

13260.0 

19010.0 

26003.0 

18 

3966.0 

5240.0 

8276.0 

13643.0 

19563.0 

26756.0 

19 

4074.0 

5383.0 

8503.0 

14016.0 

20050.0 

27493.0 

20 

4181.0 

5523.0 

8723.0 

14380.0 

20616.0 

28203.0 

21 

4285.0 

5660.0 

8940.0 

14733.0 

21130.0 

28900.0 

22 

4385.0 

5793.0 

9150.0 

15083.0 

21626.0 

29580.0 

23 

4484.0 

5923.0 

9356.0 

15430.0 

22113.0 

30246.0 

24 

4580.0 

6050.0 

9556.0 

15753.0 

22590.0 

30896.0 

25 

4675.0 

6176.0 

9866.0 

16076.0 

23053.0 

31533.0 

T.— Top.  B.— Bottom. 

Note. — To  obtain  the  number  of  cubic   feet  instead  of  miners' 

by  one  and   one-half.  This  is   on   the  assumption   that  one  miners' 
half  cubic   feet. 

27 


D.— Depth, 
inches,   multiply  the  above 
inch   equals   one   and   one- 


TABLES  FOR  CALCULATING  THE  HORSE  POWER 
OF  WATER 


MINERS'  INCH  TABLE.        1 

CUBIC  FEET  TABLE. 

The  following  table  gives  the 

Horse  Power 

The 

following  table  gives  the  Horse  Power 

of  one 

miners  inch  of  water 

under  heads 

of  one 

cubic  foot  of  water  per 

minute  under 

from  one  up  to  eleven  hundred  feet.  This 

heads  from  one  up  to  eleven  hundred  feet. 

inch  eauals  i  ^  cubic  feet  per  minute. 

Heads 

Horse 

Heads 

Horse 

Heads 

Horse 

Heads 

Horse 

in  Feet 

Power. 

in  Feet. 

Power. 

in  Feet 

Power. 

in  Feet. 

Power. 

1 

.0024I47 

290 

.700263 

I 

.0016098 

290 

.466842 

20 

.0482294 

300 

.724410 

20 

.032196 

300 

.482940 

30 

.072441 

320 

.772704 

30 

.048294 

320 

•515136 

40 

.096588 

340 

.820998 

40 

.064392 

340 

.547332 

50 

.120735 

350 

.845145 

50 

.080490 

350 

.563430 

60 

.144882 

370 

.893439 

60 

.096588 

370 

.595626 

70 

.169029 

390 

.941733 

70 

.112686 

390 

.627822 

80 

.193176 

400 

.965880 

80 

.128784 

400 

.643920 

90 

.217323 

420 

1.014174 

90 

.144892 

420 

.676116 

100 

.241470 

440 

1.062468 

100 

.160980 

440 

.708312 

110 

.265617 

450 

I. 086615 

no 

.177078 

450 

.724410 

120 

.289764 

460 

1.110762 

120 

.193176 

460 

.740508 

130 

.313911 

470 

1.134909 

130 

.209274 

470 

.756606 

140 

.3.38058 

480 

I.I  59056 

140 

.225372 

480 

.772704 

150 

.362205 

500 

1.207350 

150 

.241470 

490 

.788802 

160 

.386352 

520 

1.255644 

r6o 

.257568 

500 

.804900 

170 

.410499 

540 

1.303938 

170 

.273666 

520 

.837096 

180 

.434646 

560 

1.352232 

180 

.289764 

540 

.869292 

190 

.458793 

580 

1.400526 

190 

.305862 

560 

.901488 

200 

.482940 

600 

1.448820 

200 

.321960 

580 

.933684 

210 

.507087 

650 

1.569555 

210 

.338058 

600 

.965880 

220 

•531234 

700 

1.690290 

220 

.3541 50 

650 

1.046370 

230 

.555381 

750 

1.811025 

230 

.370254 

700 

1. 1 26860 

2-40 

.579528 

«oo 

1. 03 1  760 

240 

.386352 

750 

1.207350 

250 

.603675 

900 

2.173230 

250 

.402450 

800 

1.287840 

260 

.627822 

1000 

2.414700 

260 

.418548 

900 

1.448820 

270 

.651969 

1100 

2.656170 

270 

.434646 

rooo 

1.609800 

280 

.676116 

280 

.450744 

HOC 

1.770780 

WHEN  THE  EXACT  HEAD  IS  FOUND  IN  ABOVE  TABLE. 

Example. — Have  100  foot  head  and  50  inches  of  water.     How  many  Horse  Power? 

Bj-^  reference  to  above  table  the   Horse   Power  of   i   inch   under   100   foot  head  is  .241470. 
This  amount  multiplied  by  the  number  of  inches,   50,   will   give   12.07  Horse   Power. 
WHEN    EXACT    HEAD    IS    NOT  FOUND    IN   TABLE. 

Take  the  Horse  Power  of  i  inch  under  i   ft.  head  and  multiply  by  the  number  of  inches, 
and  then  by  number  of  feet  head.     The  product  will  be  the  required  Horse  Power. 

The  above   formula  will  answer   for   the  cubic  feet  table,   by  substituting  the  equivalents 
therein  for  those  of  miners'  inches. 

Note. — The  above  tables  are  based  upon  an  efficiency  of  85%. 

WATER  REQUIRED  AND  EFFECTIVE  WORK  OF 
HYDRAULIC  GIANTS 


in 

1 

0^ 

1^ 

Volumes  of 

Approximate 

.     0 

)r^t 

oSs 

Water  Necessary 

Amount  of  Gravel 

^--^ 

^1^ 

"■fiP-l  r- 

for  Effective 

(average  ground) 

"o 

u  0 

-•.£5  It;  c 

?^°c 

Work  in 

Washed  in  24 

^;2^^ 

^T^.S 

Miners'  inches. 

Hours  in  Cubic 

s 

OpH 

it!  0 

Yards. 

s^ 

Q 

U 

i-in.  Noz. 

IH-in.Noz. 

i-in.  Noz. 

iH-in.  Noz 

100 

20 

45 

40 

90 

0 

5 

2V2 

I  and  ij^ 

150 

25 

55 

50 

110 

200 

30 
2-in.  Noz. 

3-in.  Noz. 

60 
2-in.  Noz. 

130 
3-in.  Noz. 

100 

80 

i8s 

160 

370 

I 

7 

4 

2  and  3 

200 

115 

260 

230 

520 

300 

140 

320 

280 

640 

400 

160 
3-in.  Noz. 

365 
4-in.  Noz. 

320 
3-in.  Noz. 

4-m.  Noz. 

100 

185 

32s 

370 

650 

2 

9 

5 

3  and  4 

200 

260 

460 

520 

920 

300 

320 

';65 

640 

1130 

400 

3-m.  Noz. 

650 

730 

1300 

4-in.  Noz. 

3-in.  Noz. 

4-in.  Noz. 

100 

i8s 

325 

370 

650 

3 

11 

6 

3  and  4 

200 

260 

460 

520 

920 

300 

320 

565 

640 

1 1 30 

400 

4-in.  Noz. 

650 
6-in.  Noz. 

4-in.  Noz. 

1300 
6-in.  Noz. 

100 

325 

730 

650 

1460 

4 

1 1 

7 

4  and  6 

200 

460 

1000 

930 

2000 

300 

565 

1270 

1130 

2540 

400 

650 

1460 

I.'^OO 

2920 

28 


TABLE  OF  FLOW  OF  WATER  THROUGH  NOZZLES 
IN  MINERS'  INCHES 


Head  in 

Diameter 

OF  Nozzles  in    Inches. 

Feet. 

I 

I 'A 

2 

2% 

3 

3^ 

4 

20. 

6.25 

14.0 

25.0 

39.0 

56.0 

76.5 

100. 0 

25. 

7.0 

15.6 

27.9 

43.6 

63.0 

85.5 

1 12.0 

30. 

7.6s 

^l^ 

30.6 

47.7 

69.0 

93.7 

122.2 

35- 

8.25 

18.5 

33.0 

51.5 

75.2 

102.0 

132.0 

40. 

8.85 

19.9 

35.3 

55.1 

79.S 

108.0 

142.5 

45. 

9.37 

21.0 

37.4 

58.4 

84.5 

114-5 

149.5 

50. 

9.85 

22.15 

39.5 

61.6 

89.0 

122.0 

158.0 

60. 

10.8 

24.2 

43.2 

67.5 

97.3 

132.2 

173.0 

70. 

11.7 

26.25 

A.7.7 

72.9 

105.0 

142.8 

186.2 

80. 

12.5 

28.25 

50.0 

77.9 

II  2.0 

152.6 

199.5 

90. 

13.25 

29.75 

53.0 

82.6 

119.0 

162.0 

212.0 

100. 

14.0 

31.45 

s6.o 

87.3 

126.0 

171.0 

224.0 

125. 

15.62 

H-' 

62.5 

97.5 

140.7 

191.5 

250.0 

150. 

17.15 

38.5 

68.5 

106.8 

154.0 

209.5 

274.0 

175- 

18.6 

41.6 

74.2 

115. 6 

163.0 

227.0 

296.0 

200. 

19.85 

44.5 

79.3 

123.2 

178.0 

242.0 

316.0 

250. 

22.1 

49.6 

88.4 

138.0 

198.5 

270.0 

352.5 

300. 

24.25 

54.5 

97.0 

151. 0 

217.S 

296.0 

387.0 

3SO. 

26.1 

58.7 

104.S 

163.0 

234.S 

320.0 

417.5 

400. 

28.0 

62.9 

1 1 2.0 

174.6 

252.0 

342.0 

448.0 

450. 

29.8 

66.8 

118.7 

185.0 

267.0 

361.5 

474.0 

500. 

31.24 

70.2 

125.0 

195.0 

281.4 

383.0 

500.0 

550. 

32.85 

73.8 

131.0 

205.0 

295.0 

402.0 

524.0 

600. 

34.3 

77.0 

137.0 

213.6 

308.0 

419.0 

548.0 

700. 

37.2 

83.2 

148.4 

231.2 

326.0 

454.0 

592.0 

800. 

39-6 

89.0 

158.6 

246.4 

356.0 

484.0 

632.0 

900. 

42.0 

94-3 

167.5 

261.8 

377.0 

513-0 

670.0 

1000 

44.2 

99.2 

176.8 

276.0 

390.O 

540.0 

705.0 

GOLD  TABLE 

FOR  DETERMINING  THE  VALUE  OF  FREE  GOLD  PER  TON  (2,000  LBS.)  OF 
QUARTZ  OR  CUBIC  YARD  OF  GRAVEL 

Prepared  by  Melville  Atwood,  Esq.,  F.  G.  S.,  Consulting  Mining  Engineer 


Weight  Washed  Gold. 

4-lb.  Sample. 

Grains 

Fineness. 

780. 

Value  per  Oz. 

Fineness. 

830. 

Value  per  Oz. 

Fineness. 

875. 

V^alue  per  Oz. 

Fineness. 

920. 

Value  per  Oz. 

$16.12 

$17.15 

$18.08 

$19-01 

5      grains 

$83.97 

$89.36 

$94.20 

$99.05 

4 

67.18 

71.49 

75.36 

79-24 

3 

50.38 

53.6i 

56.52 

59-43 

2          " 

33.59 

35.74 

37.68 

39-62 

I           " 

16.79 

17.87 

18.84 

19-81 

•9       " 

15.11 

16.08 

16.95 

17.82 

-        .8      " 

13.43 

14.29 

15-07 

15-84 

•I       » 

11-75 

12.51 

13-19 

13-86 

.6      " 

10.07 

10.73 

11.30 

11.88 

.5       " 

8.40 

8.93 

9.42 

9-90 

.4 

6.71 

7-14 

7-53 

7-92 

•3    !! 

5.03 

5-36 

5-65 

5-94 

.2 

3.36 

3-57 

3-76 

3-96 

.1       " 

1.68 

1.78 

1.88 

T.98 

EXPLANATION   OF  GOLD  TABLE 

The  table  on  this  page  furnishes  an  exceedingly  simple  method  of  determining  the  value  of 
free  gold  in  a  ton  of  gold-bearing  quartz,  or  a  cublic  yard  of  auriferous  gravel. 

Take  a  sample  of  four  (4)  pounds  of  quartz,  pulverize  it  to  the  usual  fineness  for  horning; 
wash  it  carefully  by  batea,  pan,  or  other  means ;  amalgamate  the  gold  by  the  application  of 
quicksilver;  volatilize  the  quicksilver  by  blowpipe  or  otherwise;  weigh  the  resulting  button, 
and  the  value  given  in  the  table  opposite  such  weight  will  be  the  value  in  free  gold  per  ton  of 
2,000  pounds   of  quartz. 

Example. — Sample  of  four  pounds  produces  button  weighing  one  grain,  the  fineness  of 
the  gold  being  830,  then  the  value  of  one  ton  of  such  quartz  will  be  $17.87. 

If  the  sample  of  four  pounds  should  produce  a  button  weighing,  say,  four-tenth  of  a  grain 
(.4),  then  the  value  of  such  quartz  would  be   (830   fine)    $7.14  per  ton. 

GOLD  VALUE  OF  A  CUBIC  YARD  OF  GRAVEL 

A  cubic  meter  is  equivalent  to  35-3^56  cubic  feet. 

To  determine  the  gold  value  of  a  cubic  yard  of  auriferous  gravel,  the  same  table  can  be 
used. 

Take  a  sample  of  sixty  (60)  pounds  of  gravel,  pulverize  it,  and  carefully  wash  it  by 
batea,  pan,  or  otherwise;  amalgamate  the  gold,  volatilize  the  quicksilver;  weigh  the  button, 
and  in  column  in  table,  opposite  the  weight,  will  be  found  the  gold  value  of  the  cubic  yard  of 
gravel. 

Example. — Sample  of  sixty  pounds  pioduces  button  weighing  one  grain,  the  fineness  of 
the  gold  being  780;  then  the  value  of  one  cubic  yard  of  such  gravel  would  be  $1.67.  This 
is  arrived  at  by  pointing  off  one  point,  or  dividing  the  value  given  in  table  by   10. 

If  the  sample  of  sixty  pounds  yields  a  button  weighing  five-tenths  (.5)  of  a  grain,  then 
the  value  of  the  gravel  would  be — gold  being  780  fine — $0.84  per  cubic  yard. 

Perfectly  pure  gold   is  worth  $20.67183  per  troy  ounce. 

29 


TROY   WEIGHT 

U.  S.  AND  BRITISH 

24  grains, i   pennyweight,  dwt. 

20  pennyweights,   .      .     .      i   ounces 480  grains. 
12  ounces,      .     .     .     .     .      i   pound  =  240  dwts.=:  5,760  grains. 
Troy   weight   is   used    for   gold    and    silver. 

SQUARE  OR  LAND  MEASURE 

U.  S.  AND   BRITISH    . 

144  square  inches, i    sq.   foot.      100  sq.   feet=i    square. 

9  sq.   feet, i   sq.   yard=  1,296  sq.   inches. 

305^:4   sq.   yards, i   sq.   rod  — 27234   sq.   feet. 

40  sq.   rods i    rood=  1,210  sq.   yards— 10,890  sq.   feet. 

4  roods, I   acre=i6o  rods--4,840  sq.   yds.  =  43,560  sq.  ft. 

CUBIC  OR  SOLID  MEASURE 

U.  S.  AND  BRITISH 

1,728  cubic  inches, i   cubic,  or  solid  foot. 

2y  cubic  feet, i   cubic,   or  solid  yard. 

A  cord  of  wood=i28  cubic  feet;  being  4  ft.  x  4  ft.  x  8  ft. 

METRIC  MEASURES  OF  LENGTH 

BY   U.  S.  AND  BRITISH   STANDARD 


Inches 

Feet 

Yards 

Miles 

Millimeter,*     .     . 

.039370 

.003281 

Centimeter,!    •     • 

.39370428 

.032809 

Decimeter,       .     . 

3.9370428 

.3280869 

.1093623 

Meter,**      .     .     . 

39.370428 

3.280869 

1.093623 

Decameter,      .     . 

393.70428 

32.80869 

10.93623 

Hectometer,  ) 

Road 
Measures 

328.0869 

109.3623 

.0621375 

Kilometer,     >- 

3280.869 

1093.623 

.6213750 

Myriameter,  1 

32808.69 

10936.23 

6.213750 

*  Nearly   the   1-25   part  of  an  inch.  f  Full    j^   inch. 

**  Very  nearly  3  ft.  3^  ins.,  which  is  too  long  by  only    i   part  in  8616. 

METRIC  WEIGHTS 

REDUCED  TO  COMMON  COMMERCIAL  OR  AVOIR  WEIGHTS,  OF 


Centigram, 
Milligram, 
Decigram, 
Gram,  .     . 


POUND  =  i6  OUNCES  ,OR  7,000  GRAINS 
Grains 


.15432 
.015432 
1.5432 
15.432 


Decagram, 

Hectogram, 

Kilogram, 

Myriogram, 

Quintal,* 

Tonneau;  Millier;  or  Tonne, 


Pounds.  Av. 
.022046 
.22046 
2.2046 
22.046 
220.46 
2204.6 


The  gram  is  the  basis  of  French  weights;  and  is  the  weight  of  a  cubic  centimeter  of 
distilled  water  at  its  maximum  density,  at  sea  level,  in  latitude  of  Paris;  barometer,  29.922 
inches. 

RUSSIAN 

FOOT:  Same  as  U.  S.  or  British  foot.  SACHINE  =  7  feet.  VERST=5oo  sachine= 
3,500   feet=i,i66  2-3   yards=:.6629   mile.     POOD  =  36.i44  pounds  avoirdupois. 


SPANISH 


THE  CASTELLANO  of  Spain  and  Colombia,  for  weighing  gold,  is  variously  estimated 
from  71.07  to  71.04  grains.  At  71.055  grains  (the  mean  between  the  two)  an  avoirdupois,  or 
common  commercial  ounce,  contains  6.1572  castellano;  and  a  pound  avoirdupois  contains 
98.515.  Also,  a  troy  ounce=6.7553  castellano;  and  a  troy  pound=8i.o64  castellano.  Three 
U.    S.    gold   dollars   weigh   about    r.i    castellano. 

THE  SPANISH  MARK,  or  marco,  for  precious  metals,  in  South  America,  may  be 
taken  in  practice,  as  .5065  of  a  pound  avoirdupois.  In  Spain,  .5076  pound.  In  other  parts 
of  Europe  it  has  a  great  number  of  values;  most  of  them,  however,  being  between  .5  and  .54 
of  a  pound  avoirdupois.  The  .5065  of  a  pound  =  3545j^  grains;  and  .5076  pound=3553.2 
grains. 

I    marco  =  5o  castellanosT=40o  tomine=48oo   Spanish    gold-grains. 

THE  ARROBA  has  various  values  in  different  parts  of  Spain.  That  of  Castile,  or 
Madrid,  is  25.4025  pounds  avoirdupois;  the  TONELADA,  of  Castile,  =  2032.2  pounds  avoirdu- 
pois; the  QUINTAL=ioi.6i  pounds  avoirdupois;  the  LIBRArri.oi6i  pounds  avoirdupois; 
the  CANTARA  of  wine,  etc.,  of  Castile,  =  4.263  U.  S.  gallons;  that  of  Havana  =  4.i   gallons. 

The  VARA,  of  Castile,  =  32. 8748  inches,  or  almost  precisely  32%  inches;  or  2  feet,  8J4 
inches.  The  FANEGADA  of  land,  since  1801,=: i. 5871  acres=r69i34.o8  square  feet.  Tne 
FANEGA  of  corn,  etc. ,=  1.59914  U.  S.  struck  bushels.  In  California,  the  VARA  by  Iaw= 
33.372  U.  S.  inches;  and  the  LEGUA=: 5,000  varas;  or  2.6335  U.  S.  miles. 


30 


INDEX 

PAGE 

Our  Advantages 3 

Types  of  Dredges 4 

Elements  of  Dredges        5 

Bucket   Line 6 

Ladders 7 

Tumblers 7 

Screen 10 

Gold  Saving  Tables  and  Sluices     ....  10 

Stacker 11 

Pumps II 

Winch 12 

Hull 14 

Steel  Gantries,  etc 14 

Engines 15 

Boilers 16 

Electrical   Equipment 16 

Our  Ideals 17 

Export  Work 18 

Comparison  with  Foreign-built  Dredges      .  18 

Erecting  Dredges  complete 19 

Water  or  Steam  Power  Plants 20 

Sizes  and  Capacities 20 

Dredging 21 

Dredging  Conditions 22 

Dredging  Possibilities 23 

Dredging  Dry  Placers       .......  24 

Historical 25 

Useful  Tables 26,  27,  28,  29,  30 


31 


IS  PRESS 
vnu  V 


